April 27, 2009: The NFL, and the New York Jets, could not have asked for a better scenario. The Jets traded up to take USC quarterback Mark Sanchez with the fifth pick in the 2009 NFL draft, officially inaugurating his the pro career. The 6'2. 227-lb. Sanchez will compete against Kellen Clemens for a starting job that has been held by the likes of Ken O'Brien, Chad Pennington and a man to whom many in New York hope he emulates, Joe Namath, who led the Jets to the team's only Super Bowl victory and also scored as one of pro football's most prolific marketing spokesmen. The factors favor Sanchez landing key endorsements and likely faring the best among the rookie crop of players by pulling in an estimated $5-7 million in deals relatively quickly. He wore Nike at USC so the "Swoosh" company might have an edge on adidas. Sanchez had a pre-draft deal to appear as a spokesman for Sprint NFL Mobile Live along with quarterback Matt Stafford, who went No. 1 overall to the Detroit Lions, which could turn into a long-term deal. "Quarterbacks tend to be good spokespeople for us," Dave Mellin, sports sponsorships and brand public relations manager for Sprint, said in a statement. Sanchez also did an event for Gatorade at Super Bowl XLIII in Tampa, where he appeared in the Gatorade “G” Studio to talk about "G Moments in Super Bowl history" that were being recreated on canvas. A third-generation Mexican American, Sanchez also can pull in deals from companies, both national and in New York, actively seeking Hispanic NFL fans. According to the NFL, In 2008, 25 million U.S. Hispanics watched NFL regular-season games and spent an average of 13.4 hours a week consuming league content across all media, compared with 10.3 hours for the overall general market. The NFL's average U.S. Hispanic viewer is 27, 10 years younger than the average general market viewer, which puts the 22-year-old Sanchez right in their demo. In 2008, NFL league partner Coors Light sponsored NFLatino.com, which was powered by Univision, and they could use a high-profile player such as Sanchez in promotions. The Jets already have his No. 6 jersey for sale at their Web site and he figures to be a central figure in the team's upcoming marketing efforts. Sanchez is being handled by David Dunn, CEO at Athletes First, Newport Beach, Calif.; and his brother, Nick Sanchez, Jr. Back to Home Page